Netflix's 'Good Sam' falls short of the feel-good mystery that it teased viewers with in its trailer
From Netflix film 'Good Sam's trailer, all we got to know is that the film follows reporter Kate Bradley as she investigates a supposed good samaritan leaving $100,000 on random doorsteps in New York, and the "feel good" film would be happy and uplifting. But the film, that premiered on May 16 on Netflix, wasn't especially uplifting, nor did the good samaritan at the center of the plot rekindle any of our long lost faith in humanity.
The film revolved around Tiya Sircar's character Kate Bradley, who is a reporter obsessed with the "bummer beat" and is assigned the story of the mysterious good Samaritan as she was putting herself in too many risky situations for stories, although they got the numbers for the news channel that she works for.
Although Bradley was not initially happy with taking up the light story, it gradually grows on her as she digs deeper into the mysterious philanthropist's intentions and starts getting calls about his identity. Through the narrative, Bradley remains the central character, and more often than not, the clues and opportunities that she stumbles upon in the script seemed too easy and convenient. One thing leads to another, and the mystery is solved and loose ends tied up in no time at all. The plot throws some twists and surprises at us, but most fall flat as predictable and clichéd.
The Good Samaritan turned out to be a firefighter who eventually falls in love with Bradley. While he had a personal motivation for his good deeds, he expected nothing in return from any of the recipients of his kindness. This aspect of the movie also seems far-fetched and does nothing much to leave viewers "feeling good". The film ends in a cliffhanger, but again, doesn't get us curious as to who the next good samaritan could be. The romance that unfurled between Bradley and firefighter Eric Hayes didn't stir up any emotions either, despite his heroic acts of kindness.
The film also whips up a corrupt politician and some newsroom politics and has been effective in delivering the latter, successfully creating a frenzied newsroom with editor David and reporter Bradley having relatable tiffs as well as camaraderie. Jack Hansen, an aspiring Congressman, is a textbook political figure who's both opportunistic and manipulative at the same time. Although Hansen had no dimension other than his political ambitions and romantic interest in Bradley, which could have been because of her father's high profile, the character served well to move the narrative forward and was the closest to an antagonist the movie had.
The film works as a one-time watch but falls short of the feel-good spirit that was teased by it. The film does an average job of passing as a light-hearted mystery with half-baked characters and connections within.